Solar companies kill two economic birds with one stone: creating jobs and reducing dependency on oil.

Those two reasons brought President Barack Obama to Solyndra’s new Fremont, Calif. manufacturing plant on Wednesday. The San Jose Mercury News reports on how the Silicon Valley company was the first business to receive a loan from the Energy Department’s Recovery Act, and how those funds have helped create a steady flow of new employees.

Solyndra specializes in photovoltaic solar-panel systems for commercial rooftops. Coca-Cola is among the major companies that have already signed on for the service.